Do Not Say It Was Just a Dream
by Carson Reese1
Summary: A strange dream about Sakura disturbs Sasuke and he can not understand its meaning or why it came. The dream become more frequent when he returns to Konoha. SasuSaku


_**Summary: A strange dream about Sakura disturbs Sasuke and he can not understand its meaning or why it came. The dream become more frequent when he returns to Konoha. SasuSaku**_

_**Disclaimer: All the Naruto stuff belongs to Kishi. No copyright infringement is intended. Also this is Elade-chan work."**_

_The haze from the forest was slowly dissipating before him, bathed by the sun that always shown in that place was the grand entrance of the Hidden Leaf village. The same arc with the Konoha emblem engraved on the top and the gates of green wood, as he remembered it, waiting for him to open despite the time that had elapsed since the last time ... he went through it to leave this village for good._

_He walked on the dirt road coming into the village, passing under the arch with a calm step. Everything was deserted and silent, but it was one of those dark and a tense silence that makes your hair stand on end and make even the sound of your own footsteps scare you. This was a quiet peace and quiet transmitting combining perfectly with the warm golden sunlight that wrapped around it._

_A feeling of peace enveloped the boy as he went through the village visiting it with his dark eyes scanning every inch of the village of his childhood, feeling at home again after so many things, forgetting all the bitterness and hatred that had once possessed him. Now those thoughts were gone, in another life, he did not even remember why he had given it so much importance._

_A few feet away, his eye caught something that made him stop._

_On one of the stone benches that had the sides of the road, a young girl with bizarre pink hair was resting quietly looking down and sighing occasionally as if waiting for something._

_The boy's dark eyes shone focusing. He knew that she was waiting for him. She stood in the same place, when he left the village._

_He resumed his march and halted a few steps from her._

"_Tadaima" whispered the boy in a deep voice with the typical expression that was used to say he is back at home._

_The kunoichi looked up to reveal a sparkling jade green eyes and smiled warmly, with that smile he had long wanted to forget._

"_Sasuke-kun," she pronounced his name with the suffix he so hated in the past but now it sounded like a nostalgia and home._

"_Sakura" replied the dark-haired with his usual seriousness, "I'm back ... home."_

_The girl rose from the bench watching him gently with something that could be identified as jade sadness in her eyes, she smiled again and then shook her head._

"_This is not your home, Sasuke-kun" she said softly, "not yet."_

_Those words rang in the black-haired head as if someone cracked a sheet of ice. His eyes fell on the Shuichi trying to figure out her words. However, he was distracted by looking at himself and discovered with surprise that his hands covered with blood, his clothes torn and dirty, and some wounds that bled like he just emerged from a tough battle that he could not remember._

_Sakura looked up with incomprehension in her eyes._

"_You go back," she explained softly, stepping towards him._

_He could not answer. Not wanting to return to wherever he had gone; the only thing he remembered from that site was the feeling of emptiness, pain, anguish and confusion. He did not want to return, he wanted to stay there in that place where his heart was finally at peace in Konoha._

_A twinge of pain crossed Sasuke's brain to twitch slightly forcing his expression._

"_The other day" ... The boy clenched his teeth, he was not thinking straight... "The other time you asked me to stay."_

_This time he could see the sadness in her eyes before she dropped slightly over his ear without ever touching him._

"_But now, you cannot stay and you cannot take me" she said softly._

_Sasuke's dark eyes pierced with yet another stab of pain, which made him cringe slightly._

"_Life wants you" Sakura murmured._

"_Life," said the boy as he felt a pain in his jaw._

_Sakura laughed at that comment._

"_Yes," she conceded. "We are waiting for you ..., we miss you ... wake up and come home ... back home, Sasuke-kun."_

_At that time, before the Uchiha could say anything, Sakura blew gently on her face while the wind rose around him. A light blinded the boy at the same time it felt like something was pulling him while Sakura's last words ringing in his ears "come home, Sasuke-kun"_

... _Sakura..._

. */*/*/*/*.

Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes breathing in gasps as if he was drowning from the water, he noticed how the air burned his lungs and his whole body ached terribly. He coughed causing his ribs to resist the movement and let out a muffled groan.

"Sasuke-kun!" He heard a female voice at his side yelling his name he was alive, "Suigetsu, he has awakened!"

"See! I told you big guy, no one can kill this bastard!" Said another voice, this time it was a male, between laughs with obvious glee.

The Uchiha putt a hand on his head, which felt like it was about to explode.

"Karin, Suigetsu, I think you should stop crying, Sasuke-sama is still hurt," said a third person with a calmer tone.

"Of course, Juugo, but at least he was not killed" Suigetsu replied cheerfully.

"Karin what happened?" Asked Sasuke sternly.

"You were seriously injured, we thought we were going to die," said the red-haired girl with apprehension.

"I was already thinking how much I would get tired digging a hole big enough to bury your entire ego." The swordsman joked with his typical dry humor.

Sasuke growled after the comment but was still too numb and sore. He felt like someone was piercing his brain with a straw after having passed over a herd of elephants.

"Madara almost killed you, it was a hard fought battle" reported Juugo.

"Madara?" Sasuke muttered more to himself thickly.

"What is the last thing you remember Sasuke? Asked Karin.

_Sakura he_ was tempted to answer, but fortunately was able to bite his tongue in time for not revealing the strange and foolish dream he had. He struggled to remember before he could rescue some image of his aching mind.

"The battle against Madara" he replied, frowning. "Is that bastard dead?"

Suigetsu smiled showing off his sharp teeth.

"Of course, you defeated him".

The Uchiha was lying on the floor with satisfaction, the cool stone floor and he thought he was in a cave? He did not care. He closed his eyes; the only thing that mattered was that at last it was over; it had been a long hard road.

First Itachi, who he became obsessed with killing for years, he left everything for his revenge and when he finally killed him his whole world was turned upside down and it was more painful and agonizing to learn the truth about his brother.

Then Danzou, that murderer disguised as a worthy leader, he did not regret a single drop of blood spilled to end it. The fury had possessed him in this battle to the point of not even recognizing himself but was worth it to see him dead. After that, Madara had been filling his head to go against Konoha and he could say it had worked; his hatred had turned against the village of his childhood and against all who inhabit it. However, since then, the words of the leader of Akatsuki sounded to manipulation, a truth misrepresented as a convenience to its objectives also became theirs.

Sasuke knew that, maybe not at first because the excessive hatred clouded his mind, but soon the words flowed Madara poisoned by ear no longer seemed so compelling, gradually realized that in reality he was becoming his puppet, one of which would not hesitate to dispose if it fulfilled its function. In addition, the boy did not forget for one second that he, the man who filled his mouth talking of revenge, was one of the participants in the slaughter of his clan and certainly not for the reasons of Itachi.

So the young Uchiha had resolved to use the same method he used against Orochimaru, learn all he could, know his weaknesses and when he learns all he needs to, kill him. Thus completing the long-awaited revenge that took him so many years to complete, with him dead, there was no more related issues about the extermination of the Uchiha and Konoha had processed the council of elders a few months for some reason, Sasuke did not know the details and it never interested him.

"What shall we do now, Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked.

"Hn" the Uchiha growled, all he wanted to do was go to sleep to stop the pain from hurting everything.

"Leave him alone shark boy" scolded the redhead. "He needs rest."

"Sorry to be the one who has to break to you the news," said the swordsman. "But we're screwed, Madara and Akatsuki has gone to hell, who is now at the top of the list of criminal organizations. I will tell you who, we are, and if your tiny brain cannot see it, we're not at our best."

Suigetsu always looked at the practical side of things, and Kami forgive but he could not see the point to kill the guy that served as protection against the great forces ninja, okay, Madara was not particularly a saint of their devotion, in many moments had been tempted to separate his head from his body, but HE had to admit that as being a deterrent to attacks was quite useful. Now Sasuke and beside him, his team had been placed in the spotlight at the head of the list of criminal organizations.

"You are in pain Sasuke-kun" mused Karin

"Disappear" Sasuke said suddenly without even opening his eyes or move "Taka has already served its purpose so I have nothing to do here. The villages are looking for me. Disappear" he repeated calmly.

Sasuke was so tired at that time he did not care what happened to him, he had already served his purpose, and now he had nothing to live for.

... _come back home..._

He was reminded of the strange dream he had. What was that? He had dreamed of returning to Konoha and really felt so at peace, there was not anything that would produce pain or distress; he had never felt that way, not even in dreams. And the most bizarre of all, what was up with Sakura? In his dream Sakura was waiting on the same bench where the girl had stopped, but she looked like when he saw an adult in Orochimaru's lair.

His companions had remained silent Taka after his last words but soon showed their reactions.

"What things you are thinking about Sasuke" Suigetsu said laughing as if someone has just said a good joke.

Karin shook her head and smiled as she bent to fix one of the boy's arm bandages. Juugo turned patiently rolled his eyes and sat on the floor leaning back against the stone wall of the shelter. Because what to Sasuke had seemed like a cave, it was actually an improvised stone shelter in the woods, which they had been lucky enough to find.

"Seriously," the swordsman said leaving with a mischievous smile. "We will not go; I have a question to ask you who is this Sakura person."

This time, Sasuke did open his eyes wide wondering if he'd heard good or had imagined what he said because he had been seconds before turning the dream.

"What?" Asked the black-haired boy his husky voice made it sound like he growled.

"Come on, do not be silly," he continued persuasively Suigetsu fox showing a smile. "When you were unconscious you kept on repeating her name."

Karin glared at him clicking her tongue in discomfort.

"I do not know what you mean" Sasuke replied curtly.

The only thing missing was that Suigetsu began to take strange beliefs because of the stupid dream that had probably been caused by massive blood loss he suffered in the fight. It was just funny to think that he had dreamed of Sakura, his annoying fellow Genin who he doesn't really care about.

"Of course not, granted ninja making it clear that he did not believe a word, but ... her name is familiar to me are you sure you do not remember?" He continued asking him just to annoy him.

Sasuke frowned and tried to get, but gave a hiss of pain that forced him to lie back with a groan.

"You should rest Sasuke," said Juugo. "As much as we do not like, Suigetsu is right to say we are in danger. The sooner we can move from here the better."

"Hn"

Sasuke found himself thinking about what little he cared to be in danger. After finishing his revenge he felt empty, both gave live or die, the end of the day, what else should he do in life? He would always be on the run, without loyalty to anything or anyone, always alone. He wish he had not woken up, he wished he could stay in Konoha.

... _We are waiting ... at home, we miss you..._

It was strange to think things through his own inventive mind in the form of delusions. For what else apart from a delusion to imagine that he could be returned to Konoha? And Sakura, perhaps explaining why she was the last memory he had of the town.

Oblivious to Sasuke, Taka continued their conversation.

"We have to find a safe place where we are protected from attacks ..." said Karin ass she was interrupted in mid-sentence turning sharply to the door and opening her eyes wide.

"Perhaps we could have something to say about that," said a voice approaching the shelter.

The three Taka ninjas tightened defensive positioning itself at the two strangers dressed in beige layers. By removing their hoods, glistening on their foreheads they could see that they carried the head band with the Konoha symbol engraved in the center.

**A/N: Looking for a beta if someone is interested.**


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